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The demand for quieter interior cabin spaces among business jet customers has created an increased need for more accurate prediction tools. In this paper, the authors will discuss a collaborative effort between Jet Aviation and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to develop a Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) model of a large commercial business jet. To have an accurate prediction, it is critical to accurately model the structural and acoustic subsystems, critical noise transmission paths, and dominant noise sources for the aircraft. The geometry in the SEA model was developed using 3D CAD models of major airframe and interior cabin components. The noise transmission path was characterized through extensive testing of various aircraft components in the Gulfstream Acoustic Test Facility. Material definitions developed from these tests became input parameters in the SEA model.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC) owns and operates an Acoustic Test Facility (ATF) in Savannah, GA. The ATF consists of a Reverberation Chamber, Hemi-Anechoic Chamber, and a Control Room. Types of testing conducted in the ATF include Transmission Loss, Sound Power, and Vibration testing. In addition to accommodating typical types of acoustic testing, the ATF has some unique capabilities. The ATF can be used to conduct testing at cold temperatures representative of up to 45,000 ft flight altitude, while simultaneously taking Transmission Loss measurements of the chilled test sample. Additionally, the ATF has the capability of conducting Transmission Loss testing of a full mockup of the aircraft sidewall, including a section of fuselage, all the thermal/acoustic materials up to and including the interior decorative panel. A sound source capable of very high amplitudes at high frequencies is required to obtain good measurements from testing multiple wall systems such as this.

Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) has been used widely by industry and academia for more than 20 years to predict the mid-to-high frequency range behavior of complex acoustic systems. At Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC), SEA models have been developed to predict the interior cabin noise levels of completed Gulfstream aircraft. These models are also used for acoustic evaluations of design changes prior to implementation as well as a diagnostic tool for investigating noise and vibration issues. Throughout the development of the SEA models, extensive experimental testing in GAC's Acoustic Test Facility (ATF) was conducted on numerous aircraft components represented in the models. This paper demonstrates the importance of using experimental data to improve the accuracy of the SEA predictions by accurately adjusting the material properties and acoustic parameters of the SEA model to better match the ATF experimental data.

Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) models were created and analyzed of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC) G100 mid-cabin and G150 wide-cabin, high speed business jets to assist in the design efforts of the G150 cabin interior development program. The G100 was used as a model validation platform due to the existence of extensive test data. Once satisfied that the modeling technique and material properties were adequately characterizing the G100 aircraft, a G150 model was created and predictions were made. Additionally, optimization was performed successfully on the G150 SEA model to reduce the weight of the thermal / acoustic package without adversely affecting the acoustic performance. This analytical modeling effort was the first of its kind to be used at Gulfstream during an early development phase in helping to design and optimize a GAC lightweight interior thermal / acoustic package.